Shoe last

ABSTRACT

A shoe last having recesses formed in the sides of the cone thereon to laterally reduce the body of the cone and provide relief for the closed edge on a shoe upper formed thereon and producing a shoe with a closed top edge having rounded ends and straight side portions.

United States Patent Holmes 14 1 Apr. 25, 1972 1 SHOE LAST 1,783,682 12/1930 Thomas ..12/136 R 1,912,028 5/1933 Behrens ..12/133 R [72] Inventor: Kenneth E. Holmes, Pembroke, Mass.

[73] Assignee: Vulcan Corporation; Cincinnati, Ohio Primary Examiner-Patrick Lawson Attorney-Walter S. Murray [22] Filed: Aug. 20, 1970 [21] App1.No.: 65,501 ABSTRACT I I 1 A shoe last having recesses formed in the sides of the cone 52 us. 01. ..12/136 B, 12/133 B harem laterally reduce the the and Pmide 511 1m. 01. ..A43d 3/00 relief for the closed edge on a Shoe pp m thereon 2!'nd [58] Field 61 Search ..12/133 R, 133 B, 136 R, 136 B Producing a shoe with a closed 1 edge having rounded ends and straight side portions. [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS I 1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures 1,991,386 2/1935 Gerencser ..l2/133 R SHOE LAST This invention relates to shoe lasts and is particularly concerned with an improved shoe last capable of forming the uppers of shoes, especially womens pumps, and the like, with top edges that have the usual curved ends and with novel straight sides connecting common sides of said curved ends.

Heretofore, the shoe uppers made on conventional lasts having fully contoured cones had objectionable, outwardly bowed top edge portions which were thereafter put on display for sale with spring stretchers devised to at least temporarily straighten said bowed top edges to make the shoe more saleable and give it a better fit on the foot.

It is the main object of this invention to provide a last structure that will form on the quarters of the shoe upper, during the shoe making process, a top edge that has longitudinally straight and forwardly flaring side portions and inwardly and upwardly formed side panels, thus producing an improved shoe that does not require the use of longitudinally acting stretchers subsequent to its manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shoe last comprising fore and heel parts, each having a cone portion thereon, said cone portions being recessed on opposed sides to provide a relief or clearance for the top edge of a shoe upper being lasted thereon whereby the side portions of the top edge of the finished shoe upper are straight and the side panels of the shoe quarters are inwardly and upwardly directed toward one another.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a shoe last in an intermediate stage of manufacture, the dot-and-dash' linethereon representing the top edge of a shoe upper to be laid up thereon after the last is completed.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the opposed side of the last shown in FIG. 1, after said last is finished, and showing the articulating hardware incorporated therein.

FIG. 3 is a fragmental, enlarged top plan view of the last depicted in FIG. 1 of the drawings.

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 44 of FIG. 3.

The invention herein described is applicable to lasts for many shoe styles but the invention will be considered in connection with lasts used in the manufacture of women's pumps, or other like footwear, that have uppers with continuous, closed top edges. In FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 of the drawings there is shown a last body 6 for the manufacture of a shoe for the right foot and in an intermediate stage of its manufacture. This last body was previously turned as one of a pair on a copying lathe from a model. The copying lathe may be of the conventional type that has a size grading mechanism to provide a full line of shoe lasts in pairs from a single pair of model lasts.

As best illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawing, a finished shoe last generally comprises two hinged parts, namely: a heel or rear part 7 and a toe or fore part 8; the heel part usually having a knuckle 9 that hingedly engages a socket 10 formed in the fore part 8. An over-center spring link 11 is connected at its forward end on a pin 12 anchored in the fore part while the rear end of the link is connected to a pin 13 irnbedded in the heel part 7. The finished last is also provided with a thimble 130 for mounting the last on a suitable jack (not shown) during the shoe making process. Manifestly the last parts are hinged in order that after a shoe has been laid up on the last its parts may be collapsed for removal of the finished shoe therefrom.

Heretofore shoe lasts have been made to conform to the configuration of the human foot, including an upper portion referred to as the cone," generally shown in the accompanying drawing by the reference numeral 14. This cone extends the length of the shoe opening and extends heightwise from the greatest width of the cone body to a point projected beyond the upper edge of a shoe to be formed on the last (FIG. 4).

The dot-and-dash line 15 represents the position of the closed top edge of the upper for a woman's pump being made on the last body and, as best shown in FIG; 1, the outer side of the cone 14 is provided with a heightwise cut-out portion or recess 16 that extends across substantially the entire longitudinal dimension of the cone outer side from near the rounded rear portion of the cone heel part to near the rounded forward end of the cone toe part, the recess also underlying and laterally spaced from the position of the closed top edge portion and theoute r quarter of shoes to be lasted thereon. Referring now to FIG. 2 of the drawings it will be noted that the inner, opposed side of the cone l4 is'provided. with a heightwise cut-out portion or recess l7 that extends across substantially the entire longitudinal dimension of that cone side from near the rounded rear portion of the cone heel part to near the forward end of the cone toe part. Also, the recess 17 underlies and is laterally spaced from the position of the closed top edge portion 15 and the inner quarter of shoes to be lasted thereon.

The depth of the recesses 16 and 17 made in my last sides may be-perceived'by referring to the showing in FIG. 4 of the drawings wherein the dotted lines 23 and 24 indicate the side surfaces of the cone for a conventional last before the material of the cone was cut away to form said recesses 16 and 17, respectively.

With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings, it will be I seen that a shoe made on my finished last will have the continuous, closed top edge 15 of its upper provided with a relatively small rounded heel portion 18, a relatively large, rounded toe portion 19 both connected at their common ends by straight, outwardly and forwardly flaring side edge portions 20 and 21. The sectional configuration of the inner and outer quarters of the shoe formed on my last are illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawings by the broken lines 25 and 26, respectively, and it will be noted that said shoe quarters are curved inwardly and upwardly on noticeably smaller radii than the quarters of conventional shoes; the recessed sides 16 and 17in the cone 14 providing the lateral clearance that permit the quarters 25 and 26, respectively, to be shaped to their outlined conditions during the shoe making process thereon. 1

It will therefore be understood that the recessing of the sides of the last cone .14 by the heightwise and longitudinally restricted cut-out portions 16 and 17 laterally reduces the body of the cone between the rounded heel and vamp portions of the cone body to fonn the upper of a shoe thereon with a top edge having the usual rounded heel and vamp portions connected at their common ends by novel straight side portions due to the relief provided the said side portions of the top edge by the reduced lateral dimension of the intermediate body of the last cone.

The best manner presently contemplated for producing the last 6 is to make a conventional model last in wood, or a like material, then saw or cut out a portion of the cone of said model that conforms to the outline of the recesses 16 and 17 to be made in the last body 6. An' upstanding filler piece is inserted edgewise into the central part'of the cut-out portion in the cone of the model and its edges glued to the cone body, said filler piece being of uniform thickness throughout and trimmed to a thickness conforming the narrowest dimension of the cone 14 for the last 6. When this fabricated model last-is put in a lathe for duplication the radii of the follower and cutter wheels will produce the last body depicted in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 of the drawings.

A last having my novel cone configuration therefore produces a shoe having an upper provided with a continuous, closed top edge .with desirable, pre-formed straight side portions that do not require the use of spring stretchers to keep them in the desired shape.

What is claimed is:

l. A shoe last having a fore part, a heel part, articulating means connecting the parts together, a cone portion formed on each last part, a heightwise recess lathe formed on each side of the cone portions, said recesses extending lengthwise from the inner adjacent edge: of the inn parts to points near the rounded outer end: of the cones, all of said recesm being spaced inwardly from and extending vertically a lubetantlol distance lbove and below that nrel of the tor edge of a ehoe upper luted thereon whereby the side: of u d cone portions 5 are relieved to form a shoe upper having a cloned top edge with rounded end portion! interconnected by straight portionn. 

1. A shoe last having a fore part, a heel part, articulating means connecting the parts together, a cone portion formed on each last part, a heightwise recess lathe formed on each side of the cone portions, said recesses extending lengthwise from the inner adjacent edges of the last parts to points near the rounded outer ends of the cones, all of said recesses being spaced inwardly from and extending vertically a substantial distance above and below that area of the top edge of a shoe upper lasted thereon whereby the sides of said cone portions are relieved to form a shoe upper having a closed top edge with rounded end portions interconnected by straight portions. 